News - Oregon Forest Report - 13 Dec 12

One in 20 jobs in the state are created by the forest industry, adding over $12.5 Billion to the Oregon economy. Those are just two of the statistics coming out of a yearly report from the 'Oregon Forest Resources Institute'.
In addition to the economic impact, 76,000 jobs are directly the result of forestry business while amounting to more than $5 Billion in annual wages and benefits. They are numbers that don't surprise those like Dave Schott of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association.
He says with expansion of timber in the state an even bigger boon to the economy could result. Schott says currently one expansion could be in Federal Forest Lands where only 10% of the area is being harvested from around 70% a few decades ago.